Analog-to-digital converters are generally used to convert an analog signal into a digital signal. In this case, the analog signal can be amplified before conversion.
In the case of many applications, analog signals to be converted have a high dynamic range. By way of example, microphones which can also process very high sound pressure levels, for example up to a sound pressure level of 140 dBSPL or more, are used in many applications. In this case, in conventional devices for analog-to-digital conversion, a dynamic range of an analog-to-digital converter used is designed for the maximum value range which a signal source, such as a microphone, optionally with a downstream amplifier, can supply. Thus, in many applications, an optimum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR, or SNDR: “signal-to-noise and distortion ratio”) can be achieved for all signal levels of the analog input signal. However, if the analog input signal has a large dynamic range, as is the case, for example, in many microphone applications, an analog-to-digital converter used in this approach may be designed accordingly for the entire large dynamic range, which generally results in a significant overhead in terms of space and/or power loss and is technically difficult to realize at reasonable expense for many applications.